LONDON(RAHNUMA): Israeli forces on Monday issued demolition notices for numerous residential and commercial properties during raids in the Palestinian towns of al-Ram and Kafr Aqab and the Qalandiya refugee camp north of occupied East Jerusalem.
Except for the refugee camp, the areas are administered by the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem but are situated on the Palestinian side of the separation wall and hence isolated from the rest of the city.
The Jerusalem Governorate said that demolition orders were delivered to dozens of shop and residential property owners under the pretext that they built without permits, the Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported.
Forces evicted residents from several buildings in Qalandiya, turning them into military outposts while delivering eviction notices. The refugee camp is located near a main road connecting Ramallah and Jerusalem, which passes through a military crossing.
The Palestinian Authority said that the raids and demolition orders were part of an Israeli policy aimed at “fragmenting the Palestinian social fabric.”
Since the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has implemented a demolition policy aimed at preventing the merging of Palestinian towns into larger cities and establishing settlements or military points between them.
The demolitions have included commercial facilities and industrial areas under the pretext of charges that residents were building without permits.
Since October 2023 Israel has destroyed nearly 92 percent of the buildings in the Gaza Strip, including hospitals, schools, homes and commercial facilities, according to UN figures.
Several international organizations have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, where the regime has killed over 70,000 people. The International Criminal Court has issued warrants of arrest for several Israeli leaders on charges of committing war crimes.
